Toy



Dec. 12, 1961 OBRIEN 3,012,785

TOY

Filed March 18, 1959 r lillllhv INVENTOR Ill/11111111,! I

m fei/erz'dflrzer BY @Mm ATTORNEY 3,012,785 ToY ware Filed Mar. 18, 1959, Ser. No. 800,267 3 Claims. (Cl. 273-96) This invention relates to a toy, and more particularly to a toy device which will be not only amusing to the users but will also serve to develop their manual dexterity and muscular coordination.

An object of this invention is to provide a toy of the character stated, which is of simple and inexpensive construction, and which may be utilized either by an individual person for his or her own amusement, as well as by two or more persons as a game played in competition with one another.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toy device of the character above-set forth, which may be constructed to provide an additional element of amusement and excitement, especially for young children, by reason of a ringing sound caused during manipulation of the device.

According to the invention, the toy comprises essentially a paddle or paddle-like member having at its end opposite its handle portion, an opening or other suitable seating means for receiving and holding a playing piece in position to be tossed into the air when the paddle is given a slight upward motion. Intermediate its handle portion and the seating means for the playing piece, there is affixed to the paddle an upwardly opening, relatively shallow, receptacle within pieces may be caught or trapped in their descent after being tossed into the air as aforesaid.

The receptacle is configured and dimensioned to accommodate at least several of the playing pieces, so that when the player has caught or trapped one of them in the receptacle, he may proceed, while that one remains in the receptacle, in an effort to toss successive playing pieces into the air from their seated position on the paddle and catch them in the receptacle when they descend from their toss, without however, at the same time, permitting the piece or pieces previously caught in the receptacle in the same turn of play, to be tossed or otherwise removed from the receptacle.

In the use of the toy, therefore, the objective of the player would be to toss from the paddle and catch in the receptacle as many as possible of the playing pieces, successively, in each turn of play, under the compulsion of not allowing any previously caught piece or pieces to get out of the receptacle during the same turn of play. Suitable rules of play and scoring may be adopted for use of the toy as a competitive game by two or more players. Thus, the rules may provide for a maximum number of misses (i.e., failure to catch the playing piece or pieces tossed in each turn of play) before the players turn of play is lost; for maximum number of misses with the succeeding playing piece tossed into the air without at the same time allowing the one or ones previously caught during the same turn at play to get out of the receptacle; added or bonus score values for catching playing pieces in excess of one, two or more according to the rules, in each turn of play; and so forth.

The invention will more clearly appear from the detailed description below, and from the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view, in perspective, illustrating one embodiment of the invention, with the playing piece tossed slightly away;

FIG. 2 is a view thereof in longitudinal cross-section,

* United States Patent with the playing piece positioned before the start of play, and illustrating a path of movement it may take when tossed upwardly;

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing another embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view at the front end of the paddle member, showing a modified form of playing piece and seating means therefor;

FIG. 5 is a similar view depicting another modification; and

FIG. 6 is a similar view showing still another modification.

Referring now to the drawings in which like numerals designate like parts, the numeral 10 designates a paddle or paddle-like member formed at one of its ends with a handle portion 11. The paddle may suitably be made from plywood, so-called hardboard, such as Masonite, hard plastic, metal, or other rigid material combining strength and light weight.

Adjacent the front end of the paddle member, i.e., the end opposite the handle portion 11, and preferably along its longitudinal axis, there is formed an opening 12 of suitable configuration and dimensioned to serve as a seat for the playing pieces, used with the paddle and from which the pieces may be readily tossed upwardly into the air. In the particular embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the opening 12 is circular, and the playing piece, indicated generally by numeral 13, is in the form of a conventional metal jackstone such as used in the well-known game of jacks and ball and having three pairs of opposed arms extending radially from a central hub, four of the arms, indicated at 14, lying substantially in a common plane and the other two, indicated at 16, in a plane at right angles to said common plane, each of the arms 14 having an enlargement at their ends, and the arms 16 being merely tapered inwardly from the hub to their outer ends. In this instance, therefore, the opening 12 will be dimensioned to receive either of the tapered arms 16 so that the jackstone may be seated in the opening 12 in the position illustrated in FIG. 2.

Intermediate the inner end of the handle portion 11, and the seat 12, one surface of the paddle member 10 has affixed thereto a disk-like member 20 having its open end facing away from the surface of the paddle. The member 20 may be of any desired configuration such as the hemispherical shape illustrated, and may be afiixed to the paddle, as by means of a rivet 21. If desired, this member may be detachably secured to the paddle member by suitable means.

The member 20 is preferably made of metal so that when it is struck by the playing piece'in its descent after being tossed into the air, a distinctly audible bell sound will be produced. Thus, the ringing sound heard when a playing piece strikes or is caught in member 20 lends an element of interest to the use of the toy and the play of the game.

Member 20, serving as a receptacle for catching a playing piece tossed into the air from its seated position on the paddle, may comprise one-half of the conventional form of bicycle bell.

In the use of the device, a playing piece, such as the jackstone illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, is positioned in the opening 12, and the player then strokes the paddle member so as to toss the playing piece out of the opening and into the air. Thereupon the player immediately manipulates the paddle in an attempt to catchthe playing piece within the receptacle 20 upon descent of the playing piece from its toss. FIG. 2 shows in dotted outline and by arrows, one of many paths which the playing piece may conceivably be caused to follow upon being tossed upwardly from its seated position on the paddle and immediately positioning the paddle so that the playing piece 3 may be caught and retained within the receptacle 20 upon its descent from the toss.

FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of the invention, wherein the front end of the paddle is formed with one or more openings in addition to the opening 12. As illustrated, one such opening 12a is spaced from one side of opening 12, and another opening 12b is spaced from the opposite side thereof, all three of the openings being in alignment. By providing such plural openings, added interest may be imparted to the use of the toy. Likewise, the scoring of a competitive game played therewith may be given added interest by appropriate rules, such as by special score values depending upon whether or not, or under what circumstances, the player may select one or another of the openings for initially positioning the playing piece before tossing it into the air.

FIG. 4 shows a modification of the invention, wherein the playing piece is in the form of the ball 42, made of metal, mineral stone, or like hard material, and wherein the seat 43 formed in the paddle member is in a shape to conform with the shape of the playing piece 42. The playing piece may, for example, be a ball of a diameter of approximately /2 inch.

FIG. 5 shows another modification, similar to that of FIG. 4, utilizing a ball 42 as the playing piece, but wherein the seat 53 comprises an opening extending through the paddle member, the opening being of an area substantially less than the diameter of the ball. Thus, the ball in this instance is seated so as to be supported at its periphery by the upper peripheral edge of the opening 53.

FIG. 6 shows still another modification, wherein the playing piece 62 is in the form of a substantially fiat, circular disk, made of metal, hard plastic, or other hard material, and wherein the seat for the playing piece comprises a shallow pocket 63, formed in the surface of the paddle and corresponding in peripheral outline to that of the playing piece.

As will be evident, numerous other modifications and variations of the invention may be adopted. Thus, although the paddle is illustrated as being of the conventional shape of paddle used in playing table tennis or like games, namely, having a body portion of circular or ovoid outline and considerably enlarged relative to the handle portion, the paddle member of the present invention may have its body portion rectangular in shape and of a width not much greater than that of the handle portion; or, the paddle member may be formed with side edges converging inwardly from the end adjacent the seats to the outer end of the handle. The essential requirement to be met is to provide adequate area at the front end of the paddle member for forming therein the seat or seats to accommodate the playing piece or pieces, and an area intermediate the seats and the handle portion to provide for attaching the receptacle member 20 to the upper surface of the paddle member.

What I claim is:

1. A toy device comprising, in combination, a paddle member having a handle at one of its ends, a seat formed in close proximity to its opposite end, an open, relatively shallow receptacle member afiixed centrally to said paddle member, and a plurality of separate playing pieces, said seat being adapted to loosely hold each of said playing pieces in position to be tossed freely upwardly from said paddle member, and said receptacle being configured and dimensioned to accommodate at least several of the playing pieces, whereby each of said playing pieces may be successively tossed free of said paddle member to be caught in said receptacle under the compulsion of not permitting one of said playing pieces previously caught in said receptacle to be tossed out of said receptacle in the same turn of play.

2. A toy as defined in claim 1, wherein said playing pieces are in the form of jackstones.

3. A toy as defined in claim 1, wherein said playing pieces are in the form of metal jackstones, and wherein said receptacle is in the form of a hollow hemisphere made of metal so as to produce a bell sound when the playing piece strikes the surface thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 593,343 Whitney Nov. 9, 1897 2,246,897 Rodriguez June 24, 1941 2,376,755 Buckner May 22, 1945 

